So here's the hot ones from the past 12 months as far as I'm concerned. I could list several dozen cool reissues, but since they're nearly all released by the various labels mentioned in the sidebar, I suggest you dig around a bit and select your own picks. Signing off for 2005. Best wishes for the new year to all you NBT readers out there.

Records:

A-Lines - A-Lines
Black Lips - Let It Bloom
Black Time - New Vague Times
Cocorosie - Noah's Ark
Dictators - Viva Dictators!
Digger & the Pussycats - Watch Yer Back
Fevers - Love Always Wins
Ghetto Ways - Solid Brown
Nitwitz - Sex, Lies and Duct Tape
Reigning Sound - Home For Orphans
Spinvis - Dagen Van Gras Dagen Van Stro
Teenage Fanclub - Man Made
zZz - Sound Of zZz

Live:

Black Lips (Rotterdam)
Black Time (London)
CocoRosie (Utrecht)
Count Bishops (London)
Eddie & the Hot Rods (London)
Lyres (Rotterdam)
Television (Utrecht)

ROKY in The Austin Chronicle

New York Dolls on New Year's Eve!

Hard Rock Cafe - Times Square, 42nd st & 7th ave, NYC

Rock & Roll this new year's eve with a show put on by Little Steven and his Underground Garage... NY Dolls will headline with a 45 min. set supported by The Troggs, The Mooney Suzuki, The Woggles, The Fab Faux and others TBA.

Broadcast live on ESPN & ESPN 2 @ 12:30 am! Also streamed worldwide on MSN.com

Find out about tickets

Update at 6.51pm - Chuffin' Hell... I just read Kopper's thing about the tickets for this being $300 a pop!? For that m sort of money surely you would expect The Fleshtones and not The Woggles? A rare stab at humour (forgive me or don't). The world hast surely tilted off its axis. Maybe it's like a fine for crossing the threshold of The Hard Rock Cafe. Oh well. The people who would really like to see a show like that would most likely not be able to afford it. Tis an ill-divided planet.

The real action is at Union Pool in Brooklyn. No doubt about it.

End of the year lists are like the proverbial death and taxes so here's mine. In alphabetical order, cut and paste the artist/title into Google. Many of the act sites are listed on the LH side of this guff.

If you're in NY tonight then head to the Lakeside Lounge for the Amy Rigby show there.

If not then you'll have to make your own entertainment.

Louie Louie – Angel Corpus Christi (Gulcher)

The Barracudas – The Barracudas (NDN Records)

Humming By The Flowered Vine – Laura Cantrell (Matador)

Viva Dictators – The Dictators (Escapi)

Beachhead – The Fleshtones (Yep Roc)

Fuck Y’all EP – Fuck Y’all (Slutty)

Hacienda Brothers – Hacienda Brothers (Proper)

Rock & Roll Is Dead – The Hellacopters (Universal)

Triangle, Dot and Devil – Messer Fur Frau Muller (Aerocccp)

101 Songs about Cars, Girls and Food – The Morells (Almeron)

Think About It – The Morells (Hightone)

We’re An American Band – MX80 (Family Vineyard)

Music For Orphans – Reigning Sound (Sympathy)

Black Hole Rock – Mike Rep and The Quotas (Old Age/No Age)

Little Fugitive – Amy Rigby (Signature Sounds)

Weaselmania – Screeching Weasel (Fat Wreck)

Aloha! Go Bananas – The Spazzys (Fur)

Ready To Go – Suzy & Los Quattro (No Tomorrow)

Feber 2 – Lennart Persson Sweethearts – Various Artists (Amigo Musik)

Designs In Music - Ben Vaughn (Soundstage 15)

Happy trails to you and yours in 2006. Over and out of it.

While RSI and a rather bizarre infection in my fingers is (still) keeping me away from the computer, the positive side is that I have plenty of time to catch up on reading and spinning discs. Tho' I promise to try to give you a rundown on what I've been into before the end of the year.
In other "news"; Alice 'n me spend last weekend in (former rock-city) Groningen for some Christmas shopping and a visit to the local museum (pictured). Even with the Vera club no longer bein' the hot spot it once was, a trip to Groningen is still well worth the bother. Good/cheap record shops, restaurants and musea will always be a plus... And just today we hit The Hague for a visit to the Gemeente Museum. Which, besides the (excellent) usual collection, had some amazing stuff on display by Constant Nieuwenhuijs and Jessurun de Mesquita. Also did a long walk in the freezin' cold to dig some of the city's architectural highlights, and again it was well worth it. NBT tourist info; Who woulda thunk it?

So, you're looking for some Christmas music to make that party swing right? Well, Mike McEchron has stepped up to the plate and saved you. Click this BLACK CHRISTMAS link and you'll get what you deserve.

If you're playing around on the computer, killing time before the world starts to turn again, visit EVAN JOHNS site. I googled him after pulling out "Please Mr Santa Claus" and there he was.

Circumstances prevent me from covering last night’s BEATSTALKERS show at any great length but I can tell you that they pulled it off. They built the critter and people dragged themselves along to the fabled Glasgow venue where the band played regularly some 40 years ago. Augmented by backing singers and brass there was a certain oomph added to the material which included their recorded work and some “standards”. Particularly impressive was a glam marinated sprint through “Stagger Lee”. The Thanes did what they do prior to The ‘stalkers and turned in a fine, possibly too short set of long forgotten and some never known beat nuggets. I left to catch a train with a flu virus stompin’ on my noggin and it’s showing no signs of abating at the minute. My “Christmas” is pretty much on the ropes. I hope you’re faring somewhat better…

Update @ 15.50 hours - Mr Cruickshank confirmed that Zal Cleminson (SAHB) joined the band onstage toward the end of the show and fired things up a gear. It really was a good-natured affair. Like something set up for a great lost episode of Taggart or something. It was more like a social than your regular Barra's rock show. With a special ambience specific to Glasgow and then some.

Just got the word from Mr Vahlberg that FREAK SCENE RECORDS in Stockholm will be starting a closing-down sale on Tuesday (27th). This is one of the last proper record stores on earth and sad news. Juan Capel has done one heckuva tour of duty but he's had enough. And who could blame him? Juan has been a huge supporter of NBT over the years and we wish him nothing but the best.

Yesterday was supposed to be the shortest day but it didn’t feel like that from where I was sitting. Another relative kick in the ribs was the recent realisation that it is Thursday and not Friday. Bollocks indeed. But anyway, the days are fair drawing out and ‘tis the season that yours truly would prefer to be over. The faux bonhomie is in full swing and the (scum)hordes are buying up tons of stuff neither they or you need. The fact they can spend their brains out until late into Saturday means that all kindsa daftness will probably ensue. I don’t think the stores are closing here at all this year?

Need to get to compiling a list of “gear of the year”, assembling a cd, that type of activity. Roll on 12.30pm tomorrow! Beatstalkers at The Barra'lands tomorrow night, be there and be whisked back to what seem like better days.

Check out this NPR interview with AMY RIGBY. She'll be back out this way (hopefully) in Spring 2006...

Ben Weasel's latest entry really resonated with me and he's a young 'un compared to Methusalah here. I scored a copy of his combo's Weaselmania for my nephew's Christmas, hoping that it'll rub off in some way or other. Screeching Weasel really were something y'know and this latest Fat Wreck release is a belter if you need to hit upside the head to that fact. Then you can stock up on the albums...

"To all our friends and enemies alike, we at Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Company offer season's greetings -- hillbilly style, naturally! And we'll be celebrating in such suitable style at Otto's Shrunken Head this Thursday, December 22nd, so stroll, bike or scooter on over and join us, won't you? Next week's show will be our LAST at Otto's until Spring!" Thursday, December 22nd ~ Otto's Shrunken Head ~ 538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B), Manhattan ~ From 8:00 until 10:00 sharp ~ No cover ~ Last Otto's show is on December 29th! ~

Seems as though the Lefsetz thing I posted earlier links to an i-Pod commercial so bollocks to that. Too bad because it's very entertaining and the link took me directly to the "podcast". Anyway, nothing is ever simple, it seems.

So what to report? Absolutely sod all happening in this neck of the woods. Gearing up for The Beatstalkers on Friday and very much looking forward to not having to drive to the open prison of a dark foreboding morning until January 4th 2006. I have a dentist appointment on the 9th, gimme that any ol' day!

Let me know if there's anything I should be letting folks in on. Something in your locale perhaps? Don't care where on the planet it's happening, we have readers in every percievable nook and cranny looking for action. Me? I'm getting the bunker ready for some serious batoning of them hatches.

I think that the "security" isssue is sorted now. Tis early days but fingers and everything else crossed that the bugs won't work, cyberinfection wise...

Had the misfortune to have to go out in the early afternoon yesterday, Whoa nelly! The scumhordes were out in droves and all the rages that converge to result in the "festive" mulled variety were bubbling away in the cauldron. I made it but it was touch and go for a wee whiley. Today, we're off to see a "heart-lifting" movie called - wait for it- "Merry Christmas" at Filmhouse in Edinburgh. My ticker ain't in the habit of being raised above working level but we'll see how it goes...

Update - Well the movie wasn't awful but not my kinda thing really. Railing perilously close to being a costume drama, it all seems a little contrived to the point of beyond obvious. It also has "Trevor" from Eastenders in it. Can't exactly recommend that it's a good use of two hours to be honest but there y'go...

Way more Christmassy and very likely to warm the cockles of your ticker is the ability to download Angel Corpus Christi's "Still Feels Like Christmas" for the duration of this holiday season. Go get it!

The amount of decent seasonal tuneage this year is meagre but, completely out of the blue (no pun intended), a lowly 7" by The Come-Ons arrived at this here manger in a sharp hand stamped bag. Three songs, wrapped up in signed brown paper and string. The A-side is an original - "Christmas Lights of Blue", when you flip this baby over there are versions of "Don't Forget To Feed The Reindeer" and "My Favourite Things". I wonder sometimes, how this girl and boys haven't been discovered and thrust upon our undeserving world and then the penny drops. They actually offer entertainment value and our "friends" in the "business" evidently aren't down with that. You (however) can and may download the "Reindeer" portion whist learning about said combo in readiness for the revolution HERE.

Well, after listening to Sounds of the Sixties this morning, I have a desire to buy a Roger Whittaker compilation but that, as they say, is my problem. The other problem with this computer is still persisting so i'm trading warily. As it is, there's sod all to report anyway except to remind you about The Beatstalkers show at the Barra's in Glasgow this coming Friday (23rd). If anything REALLY scintillating turns up then i'll jump on this sucker and will check e-mail periodically. One is thinking of resolution on a number of fronts including my seemingly compuholic tendancies. Of course it wouldn't last but what if it did? What if it did?

Update - The Beatstalkers were on the Janice Forsyth Show on Radio Scotland this morning during the alst hour. You can catch that on the Listen Again feature available through the BBC website. They sound very much up for it and knocked out a groovy version of "Ramble On" in the studio to make sure the listenership got that.

Hello everybody. Getting ready for the Festering Season? Good. There are several hurdles to be overcome on this end including some kinda security issue with this thing I tap away at. I need to get that sorted out before I leave we open to all kindsa nasties which they don't do cream for. Please bear with this. There is almost nada to report anyway so you're not missing owt. If anything REALLY important goes down then I'll brave the cyber cooties to bring it to you. Cannae say fairer than that...

The Human League, The Proclaimers and… The Woggles were among the entertainers that hit up Edinburgh last night. I dragged my arse, through the birdshit canopy that is the underside of the train tracks along the Calton Road to Studio 24 for the latter but due to a coughing fit, I didn’t stay until the end. The venue was bloody Baltic and figure the cold and the smoke must have triggered something to make me feel decidedly gubbed. Anyways, the instro-mental stylings of Preston Pfanz and the Seaton Sands kicked things off quite nattily. With a perfectly measured set both in tuneage and length. Other combos could do well to take a leaf out of their book. I saw The Woggles once before, opening for the very wonderful Girl Trouble in San Francisco. Their Fleshtones approximation disturbed me then and it does so now. It makes me pine for the real super-rock deal and as entertaining as these Atlanta chaps can be, they’re not Zaremba, Streng, Milhiser and Fox. Throwing all the ‘tone shapes, The Woggles work hard but I detect little of themselves in their g*r*ge-r*ck pantomime. These are the Great Grandchildren of Nuggets and the crazy paving to the big burny fire is festooned with good intentions. Sometimes though, that ain't enough.

Preston Pfanz and The Seaton Sands have a 45 available on Forth Bridge Recordings. comprising "Knock Hill Chicane" and "Forth Dimension". The Valves claimed there was "no surf in Portobello", well - there's a fair head of twang to be had in close proximity some 28 years later.